Hummingbird

Debra and Peter Huebner chose to both sponsor and host the square on their property to celebrate the rich history of the Lower Marlboro area. Debra, a talented quilter, chose Nancy Cabot's 'Hummingbird' pattern for the anecdotal story of a patriotic boy from the War of 1812. As the story goes, the boy met British sailors who had landed on the shores of the Patuxent River in Lower Marlboro and found a hornet's nest. When they asked the boy what it was, he saw a wonderful opportunity and told them it belonged to rare hummingbirds and if they plugged the entrance and took the nest aboard their ship the 'birds' would be lucky mascots. When the flagship departed the locals took great delight watching the officers dive overboard, swords and all, when the nest was opened. The square is positioned in the Huebner's field so that visitors can look across the road to see the Patuxent Manor House, built c. 1740 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. *Source: 'Insects in Warfare,' Lt. John T. Ambrose, Army, Vol. 24, December 1974, pg. 36.